Kings aim to continue scoring binge vs. Oilers

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Kings scored a season-high seven goals in their last outing and will try to keep the offense rolling as they host the Edmonton Oilers in Sunday's battle at the Staples Center.

The Kings won for the third time in four games on Thursday by downing the visiting Phoenix Coyotes by a 7-4 score. Dwight King notched his first career hat trick to lead L.A. past the Coyotes, who had recorded at least a point in seven straight games before getting beat by the Kings.

King scored twice in LA's four-goal first period, but the Coyotes countered with four straight goals to even the score early in the third.

Phoenix then seemed poised to pull in front when Jake Muzzin was sent off for slashing at 3:31 of the third, but Mike Richards came up with a steal in the neutral zone and sped in on a breakaway before stuffing a backhand past the left pad of Thomas Greiss to give the Kings a 5-4 edge at 4:19. Matt Frattin then added a tip-in tally before King capped his hat trick with an empty- netter to help Los Angeles earn the victory.

"It was up and down tonight but that's the challenge for us, it always has been," Kopitar said. "We always have good spurts, and tonight the first period was obviously a really good one but we have to maintain that."

Sunday's contest marks the end of a four-game homestand for the Kings, who are 3-2-0 as the host this season. L.A. will visit Phoenix for a rematch on Tuesday before returning to the City of Angels for another four-game homestand.

The Oilers enter this game against the Kings having lost two straight and seven of their last nine tilts. Sunday's opponent doesn't appear to offer a reprieve for Edmonton because L.A. has won two straight, four of five and eight of the past 11 meetings against the Oilers.

Edmonton also has dropped two in a row and four of five in L.A.

The Oilers are coming off Saturday's 5-4 setback in Phoenix. Edmonton held a 1-0 lead early in the game and later rallied from a 3-1 deficit to grab a 4-3 advantage just over seven minutes into the third period. But, Keith Yandle netted the tying goal for the Coyotes at 10:40 of the third and Oliver Ekman- Larsson recorded the winner with 7:37 remaining.

Ryan Jones, Will Acton, David Perron and Tyler Pitlick scored for the Oilers, while Jason LaBarbera was charged with five goals on 27 shots in defeat.

"It was an interesting game to say the least," noted Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins. "It's getting disheartening to say I like most of our game and come up short."

Edmonton fell to 2-5-1 on the road after the loss to the Coyotes and Sunday's tilt marks the end of a brief two-game swing for the club. Next up for the Oilers is a two-game homestand, which is set to begin Tuesday night against Toronto.